Tools for accurately programming the application of pulverizing energy



May 6, 1969 5. 0. CONNER 3,442,341 TOOLS FOR ACCURATELY PROGRAMMING THE APPLICATION OF PULVERIZING ENERGY Filed June 9, 1966 Sheet of 5 E 4 6&1? am 0? gm y 1969 G. o. CONNER 3,442,341

' TOOLS FOR ACCURATELY PROGRAMMING THE APPLICATION OF PULVERIZING ENERGY Filed June 9, 1966 Sheet 2 of 5 I/VI/ENIOK GU) 0. CONNER Mai/0M? y 6, 1969 G o. CONNER '7 3,442,341

TOOLS FOR ACCURATELY PROGRAMMING THE APPLICATION v OF PULVERIZING ENERGY Filed June 9, 1966 Sheet ....3 of 5 May 6, 1969 G. o. CONNER 3,442,341

TOOLS FOR ACCURATELY FROG M THE APPLICATION OF PULVERIZI E GY Filed June 9, 1966 Sheet 4 of 5 4 u I 4" I 224 I K 1 I! 1 L ll w INVENTOR GUY o. CONNER E 1 [L BY ATTORN y 6, 1969 G o. coNNER 3,442,341

TOOLS FOR ACCURATELY PROGRAMMING THE APPLICATION OF PULVERIZING ENERGY Filed June 9, 1966 SheetLofS K I S III M INVE NTOR GUY O. CON NER United States Patent 3,442,341 TOOLS FOR ACCURATELY PROGRAMMING THE APPLICATION OF PULVERIZING ENERGY Guy 0. Conner, 1118 Mount Vernon Blvd.,

' Cleveland Heights, Ohio 44118 Filed June 9, 1966, Ser. No. 556,376 Int. Cl. E21b 9/10, 9/24 U.S. Cl. 175-319 21 Claims This invention relates generally to tools and more particularly to a pulverizing type of tool capable of pulverizing and/or forming holes or large cavities in hard materials formed of discrete particles such as mineral bearing solids found in a natural or deposited state by breaking or pulverizing said material, said tool being constructed and operable to apply a preselective accurately programmed pattern of forces compressively against the material.

Heretofore, various devices have been proposed for forming holes, cavities or the like in solid materials. However, there have been certain disadvantages in the operation thereof that are inherent in their construction. As an example, these devices have usually comprised a digging and/or abrading type of cutting action wherein substantial magnitudes of friction are encountered, inasmuch as the material is removed by an abrading action which creates substantial frictional forces. Further, in various other types of prior art tools the material being worked upon actually drives the abrading cutters or bits by reason of the frictional forces generated between the cutters and the material which force then drive the cutters.

As will be hereinafter described, the tool of the present invention is capable of pulverizing solid materials to form holes, well bores and the like in such manner that substantially only compressive forces are applied to the material in a predetermined programmed pattern with no appreciable lateral or abrading forces, and also with complete elimination of driving friction between the material and tool.

Also, in the latter type of prior art tool, such as is disclosed in US. Patent 2,687,875, the solid material must be relatively hard in order to effect the driving of the tool cutters. In fact, when a vein of soft material is encountered by the tool of said patented structure there is not sufficient driving friction created therebetween to effectively drive the tool cutters. As a result, the cutters become relatively motionless as the bit is rotated and the complete tool bit (cutters and holder) is moved through the soft material. Thereafter, when the tool bit has moved through the vein of soft material and again encounters relatively hard material, the stationary cutters carried by the tool bit strike the hard material whereupon maximum frictional forces are generated between the cutters and ma terial causing substantial or excessive wear to the cutters. Further, with the cutters relatively stationary in their holders, as the material is initially engaged maximum frictional driving force is immediately generated and applied to the cutters in an effort to drive the same whereby said cutters are oftentimes broken and/or materially damaged by the excessive force applied thereto. The result is that regardless of the type of material being worked upon, some abrading action takes place and the cutters have to be replaced and/or sharpened frequently, the frequency depending largely upon the type of material being worked.

In my copending US. patent application, Ser. No. 508,655, filed Nov. 19, 1965, now Patent No. 3,374,034, and also my issued US. Patent 3,219,390, I have disclosed a novel apparatus especially designed for use in breaking or pulverizing hard materials which incorporates the concepts of generating and accurately directing predetermined programmed patterns of pulverizing forces against the material in such manner that substantially only compressive forces are applied to said material and effective to overcome the forces binding the discrete particles of material together whereby particles are separated from said material and hence are pulverized, said compressive forces being thus applied in such manner that substantially no abrasion or lateral forces are evident between the elements used in said apparatus for applying said forces to the material and the material being worked upon.

As is likewise disclosed in said aforementioned copending US. application and patent, there is shown, as merely one embodiment incorporating the concepts as above described, a breaker head of considerable mass which is rotatable about a first axis that is parallel to the surface of a wall of material to be pulverized, and a plurality of breaker elements rotatably supported on said head and rotatable about a second axis which is disposed in parallel spaced relation to the first axis. In practicing the concepts of the invention therein disclosed, the massive head is rotated in one direction and each of the breaker elements is rotated in an opposite direction whereby the rotational speed of the breaker elements and the head are synchronized such that at the instant a peripheral point or projection of any one breaker is carried into engagement with the wall of material, the linear velocity of said peripheral projection due to the rotation of the breaker element is substantially equal and opposite to the linear velocity of said peripheral projection due to the rotation of the head whereby the pulverizing forces are applied substantially compressively against said wall effective to pulverize the material underlying said projection.

As is also mentioned in the aforedescribed patent and application, one of the advantages of the apparatus described therein over that heretofore known in the art has been the fact there is substantially little or no friction caused by the breaker element engaging the wall of material whereby the wearing of said breaker elements is at a substantial minimum amount, which in turn enables the same to be used over a substantially longer period of time without sharpening and/ or refabricating.

The present invention incorporates the concepts abovedescri-bed in a pulverizing tool which is especially applicable for forming irrigation ditches, strip mining ditches, building foundation holes, well bores, cavities and the like with impacting or compressive forces only. With the present device, the hardest of known materials which occur in a natural state may be pulverized, as well as nearly all types of commercial aggregates such as concrete as well as bituminous material.

This is accomplished by providing a novel pulverizing tool which, when operated, incorporates the concepts of generating and directing pulverizing forces against the material in such manner that substantially only compressive forces are applied to said material which are effective to overcome the forces binding the discrete particles of the material together, thus breaking particles therefrom and hence pulverizing said material into predetermined particles size, said compressive forces being thus applied in such manner that substantially no abrasion or lateral forces are evident between the tool which applies said forces and said material being worked upon.

As will be hereinafter described, the novel pulverizing tool of the present invention is constructed and operated to apply the pulverizing forces in preselected programmed force pattern(s) against the material capable of breaking or pulverizing said material in predetermined particle size.

Thus, the main concept of the pulverizing tool of the present invention relates to a pulverizing tool capable of generating and applying a positive pattern of forces substantially compressively for disintegration of solid materials. Specifically, the tool herein is constructed and is intended to operate in such a manner that disintegration of hard materials is effected by a predetermined operation of the tool wherein a positive sequence of operations effects the application of a predetermined positive pattern(s) of compressive forces against the said material which pattern is determined partially by the tool configuration and partially by its operation and which enables a set pulverizing pattern to cause the material to be broken up by a progressive pulverizing action into extremely small particles.

It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide a novel and new pulverizing tool for forming irrigation ditches, as for example V-shaped or square shaped in cross section, strip mining ditches, building foundation holes, well bores, cavities and the like by pulverizing solid material formed of discrete particles whereing said tool is operable to generate and direct a pulverizing force of greater magnitude than the forces holding the particles of said material together, and applying said pulverizing forces substantially compressively against said material effective to break off discrete particles therefrom.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a boring tool for pulverizing solid materials formed of discrete particles as defined in the last preceding paragraph and further characterized by applying the forces to the material in a predetermined accurately programmed pattern of compressive forces so as to pulverize the same into predetermined size.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and novel pulverizing or boring tool for pulverizing solid materials formed of discrete particles and wherein said tool includes means for providing a pulverizing force of greater magnitude than the forces holding the particles of said material together, and means for applying said force compressively against said material in such manner as to break the same into predetermined particle size without any substantial lateral or abrading forces acting against said material and force applying means.

Still other objects and advantages of the invention and the invention itself will become more apparent upon reference to the following disclosure and which is illustrated by the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational sectional view of a pulverizing tool constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is an inverted front diagrammatic view of the right tool head of the device shown in FIG. 1 and showing the front angle relationship of said head with respect to the left head and the main head;

FIG. 3 is a side diagrammatic view of the head shown in FIG. 2 and taken along the line 3-3 thereof;

FIG. 4 is a front elevational sectional view of a second embodiment of tool;

FIG. 5 is a front elevational sectional view of a third modification of the tool herein;

FIG. 6 is a front elevational view of a pair of modified tool heads and showing the main head in which they are mounted in dot-dash lines;

FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of a tool employing three heads and illustrated in the manner in which it is operable to bore or form a building foundation cavity or the like;

FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the tool of FIG. 7, and taken along the line 8--8 thereof;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged front elevational sectional view of the tool of FIG. 8 and taken along the line 99 thereof;

'FIG. 10 is a diagrammatic View showing the bore pulverizing pattern effected by the tool of FIG. 7 against the surface of the material in which the bore is made;

FIG. 11 is a diagrammatic view illustrating several of the various cross section profiles which may be used in the crest of the flutes of the tools;

FIG. 12 is a vertical section of a two-stage tool operable to form a large diameter of hole or well bore; and

FIG. 13 is a vertical elevation, shown partly in section,

of another embodiment of pulverizing tool of the present invention and which incorporates a variable speed drive within the tool housing.

Referring to FIG. 1 there is shown a tool generally designated as D, constructed in accordance with the invention, and which includes a main rotatable head 10 having rotatably mounted thereon a pair of cone-shaped pulverizing tools 12 and 14 preferably having hard, durable wear-resistant tips. The main head 10 is provided with an exteriorly threaded shank 10a which is intended to be threadedly disposed Within a suitably interiorly threaded aperture 10b formed in a boss 16 depending from the underside of a large mass such as head in the assembly disclosed in my aforesaid Patent 3,219,390.

The tool 12 has a plurality of longitudinal converging flutes 13, and the tool 14 has a series of parallel transverse flutes 15. The main head 10 and supporting head 100 are intended to be rotated by any suitable drive means in one direction as, for example, a counterclockwise direction as indicated by the arrow A. Mounted within the head 10 is a beveled cup-shaped ring (drive) gear 20 having an upwardly extending shaft 22 rotatably mounted in the bore 24 and its restricted portion 24a. The shaft 22 may be rotated by any suitable drive means in the same direction as that of the head 10, thereby causing, in the instant example, each conical tool to rotate in a clockwise direction as indicated by the arrow B (see also FIG. 8). The drive means are not shown, as such drive means per se forms no part of the invention.

The pulvering tool 12 has a shaft 30 rotatably mounted in the bore 32 of the head 10. Mounted on the shaft 30 is a bevel gear 34 meshed with the drive gear 20. Likewise, the pulverizing tool 14 has a shaft 40 rotatably mounted in the bore 42 of the head 10. Mounted on the shaft 40 is a bevel gear 44 meshed with the drive gear 20. Thus, when the main head 10 is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow A, for example, the pulverizing tools are rotated by said intermeshed gear train in the opposite direction.

With the pulverizing head assembly D above-described mounted on a suitable associated frame as is shown in the aforesaid patented structure and presented to solid material for boring a hole or cavity therein wherein the head assembly may be raised and lowered with respect to a grade level, the main head 10 is intended to be driven in one direction of rotation (arrow A) Whereas the pulverizing tools 12 and 14 are intended to be rotatably driven in the opposite direction (arrow B), the rotation of said main head and each of said pulverizing tools being synchronized in the aforesaid manner and as is more fully described in the aforementioned patent and copending application, such that the linear velocity of any peripheral point on any one of said tools, at the moment when said point is in contact with said material, such as, for example, point 47 on tool 12 and point 48 on tool 14, due to the rotation of the main head 10, is substantially equal and opposite to the linear velocity of said points due to the oppositely directed rotation of each of the associated tools .12 and 14. In this manner, when the said peripheral surfaces of said pulverizing tools are presented to material to be bored, the forces generated partially by the rotation of the main head 10 and by also externally applied forces, if necessary depending upon the hardness of the material being worked upon, said forces being sufficient to provide a resultant force of magnitude greater than the forces holding the discrete particles of the material together, said forces are applied to the material substantially as a compressive force and against the surface of said material, such that substantially no abrasive or lateral forces are present and the material is thus bored by a compacting and/or pulverizing action which may leave a layer of broken material underlying said contacting points, as is indicated at P in FIG. 7. Any number of pulverizing tools may be used depending on the diameter of the hole to be bored.

The shaft 22, if desired, may be formed with a longitudinal bore 52 for receiving pressurized fluid therethrough to flush out the pulverized material as the tool progresses through the material being bored.

To protect the bevel gears 34 and 44 in the main head 10, such main head contains a guard ring 56 retained in position in the head by the screws 57.

In the form of tool shown in FIG. 1, the tools 12 and 14 are mounted on the main head so that the centerlines or longitudinal axes 12a and 14a of the tools 12 and 14, respectively, meet at the tip of the tool assembly D at a 60 angle, such tool axes each forming a 30 angle with the main axis 22a of the main head 10. As will later be apparent, numerous other angular conical configurations may be selected for the pulverizing tools such as, for example, the 90 cones shown at 12' and 14 in FIG. 4.

If desired, the tool as shown in FIG. 3 may be provided with a supplemental compacting edge 58 formed thereon to remove a small central portion of the hole being bored in preparation for the pulverizing action of the tools 12 and 14.

Additionally, it will be noted in FIG. 3 that the head 14 is angled or canted 5, for example, to the right to permit more effective use of this compacting edge 58 in that, as the said compacting edge feeds into the material, the 5 cant angle permits the material removed thereby to be thrown rearwardly and out of the way thereof. Also, the 5 cant angle permits compacting by the tools 12 and 14 almost to the center of the bored hole. Such tilt or cant angle must be in the direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the head 10. The cant angle may be from 0 to The cant angle is selected so that the pulverizing tool will compact in approximately a spiral path along the surface of the solid material at approximately the same pitch as the linear feed of the supporting apparatus (not shown). In this manner, inasmuch as the driving of the tools 12 and 14 and the main head 10 are synchronized with each other as above described, whereby a predetermined part of the tool .14 is brought in engagement with the material in timed relation with the rotation of the head and tool 12, if said predetermined part on tool 14 becomes worn, it may merely be rotatably re-positioned with respect to the tool 12 and hence the timing thereof to present another part thereof for engagement with the material. As a result, the same tool may be used for extended periods of time to program its pulverizing forces without it being required to be replaced.

It will now be understood that inasmuch as the tools 12 and 14 and also the head 10 are each positively driven and synchronized with each other to apply the pulverizing forces substantially compressively against the material, the tools 12 and 14 do not depend in any manner whatever on frictional engagement with the material being worked upon to rotatably drive said tools.

As best seen in FIG. 1, the head 10 is preferably provided with an external helically projecting groove 10d by which the pulverized material may be raised out of the bored hole.

FIG. 6 illustrates a modified pulverizing surface for the pulverizing tools and which comprise a series of ballshaped protuberances 59 mounted on the periphery of tool A and a plurality of flat-topped cylindrical protuberances 58 similarly carried on the periphery of tool B which function as the pulverizing points above described, the remainder of such structure being the same as in FIG. 1, and hence will not be described in detail.

Referring now to FIG. 5, there is shown a modified pulverizing tool, and which includes a main rotatable head 60 having rotatably mounted thereon a pair of pulverizing tools 62 and 64. The tools 62 and 64 have a plurality of parallel transverse threads or flutes 65 thereon. The main head 60 is threadedly connected to a cylindrical drive shaft 66 which may be rotated, in the direction indicated by the arrow C for example, by any suitable drive means. Mounted within the head 60 is a beveled cup-shaped ring (drive) gear 70 having a downwardly extending shaft 72 rotatably mounted in the bore 74 and its restricted portion 74a. The shaft 72 may be rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow E by any suitable drive means. The separate drive means for the shafts 66 and 72 are not shown as such drive means, per se, forms no part of the invention.

The pulverizing tool 62 has a shaft rotatably mounted in the bore 82 of the head 60. Mounted on the shaft 80 is a bevel gear 84 meshed with the drive gear 70'. Likewise, the tool 64 has a shaft rotatably mounted in the bore 92 of the head 60. Mounted on the shaft 90 is a bevel gear 94 meshed with the drive gear 70. Thus, when the main head 60 is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow C, for example, the pulverizing tools 62 and 64 are rotated in the opposite direction.

To protect the bevel gears 84 and 94, a guard ring 96 is provided which is secured to the main head 60 by the screws 97.

In order to provide a pressure liquid to the tip of the pulverizing tools to enable the complete removal of pulverized material from in front of the said tools, a standard rock drill as indicated at 100, may be mounted on the head '60 so as to be rotated therewith. The drill is retained in said head by screw 102, and projects forwardly of the tools 62 and 64. The drill is formed with an internal bore 104 which connects adjacent its drilling tip with a plurality of liquid outlets 108 which extend radially outwardly therefrom so as to pass said liquid into the bore being so formed and to thereby carry the pulverized material away from and out of said bore. The bore 104 may also open to the tip of the drill face so as to project said liquid directly in front of said face. Likewise, because the drill projects forwardly of the tip of the tools, it can act as a pilot to guide the tool for enlarging holes.

Referring now to FIGS. 7, 8 and 9, there is shown a pulverizing tool having three cone-shaped tools 120, 122 and 124 rotatably mounted on a main head 126, such tool shown boring a hole or cavity 128 in the material 130. The tools 120, 122, 124 are mounted on the main head 126 in the same general manner as in the tool assemblies of FIGS. 1 and 5. For example, the main head 126 is threadedly connected to a cylindrical drive shaft 136 which may be rotated by any suitable drive means in one direction as, for example, counterclockwise. Mounted within the head 126 is a beveled cup-shaped ring (drive) gear 140 having an upwardly extending shaft 142 rotatably mounted in the bore 144. The shaft 142 may be rotated by any suitable drive means in the same direction as the head 126. The drive means for each of the shafts 136 and 142 are not shown, as such drive means per se forms no part of the invention.

The tool 120 has a shaft rotatably mounted in the bore 152 of the head 126. Mounted on the shaft 150 is a bevel gear 154 meshed with the drive gear 140. Likewise, the tool 124 has a shaft rotatably mounted in the bore 162 of the head 126. Mounted on the shaft 160 is a bevel gear 164 meshed with the drive gear 140. Although not shown, in FIG. 9 tool 122 is similarly mounted. Thus, when the main head 126 is rotated in one direction, the tools 120, 122 and 124 are rotated by said intermeshed gear train in the opposite direction.

To flush out the pulverized material as the hole is bored, pressurized liquid flows through the bore and thence through the chamber 172.

As shown in FIG. 8, the 5 cant angle aforementioned (with reference to FIG. 3) is effected on all three tools to pulverize practically to the center of the hole as the hole is bored. Each tool is canted the same amount and on the same transverse circle for effective pulverizing relationship whereby only a pulverizing action is effected.

The pulverizing surface of each of the tools 120, 122 and 124 may be formed of helical screw threads 187 so that the pitch of such threads leads the tool into the hole being bored.

Additionally, such threads are constructed to coact with each other whereby the threads on one tool will provide a progressively predetermined saw-tooth pattern :1 on application of compressive forces against the material being worked upon (FIG. the threads on the second tool will pulverize a progressive saw-tooth pattern 2, and the threads on the third tool will pulverize a progressive saw-tooth pattern 3 in the material 130 being bored, such patterns being progressive and coacting to effect the aforementioned pulverizing type of boring of the hole.

In like manner, the selected configuration of the surface on each of the pulverizing tools of the previous embodiments will effect the generation of a corresponding programmed pattern of compressive forces against a material surface.

As is shown particularly in FIG. 7, when using the tool to form a hole or foundation support cavity the tool is capable of pulverizing the underlying material to a depth slightly greater than the tool itself reaches, leaving a layer which is identified by the reference character P.

It has been determined that once this layer of pulverized material P is formed underlying the tool it acts to transfer the pulverizing force applied by the tool to the solid material underlying the same. In this manner this material P acts as a cushion between the tool surface and the solid material and may also be considered as an effective extension of the tool inasmuch as it acts to transfer the forces generated by said tool to pulverize the underlying solid material. Likewise, this underlying layer of pulverized material reduces materially wearing of the tool surface.

As shown in FIG. 11, the flutes of the tool of any of the embodiments disclosed herein may take on various geometric cross sections as for example triangular as shown at a; rounded as at b; flat-top as at c; or square as at d.

As previously mentioned, the instant tool is also applicable to form trenches such as is used in irrigation and/or open strip mining in addition to forming holes or cavities and the like.

One material advantage of the tool of the present invention is it ability to maintain its pre-programmed direction of movement even when it encounters unequalness in material hardness, density and the like.

For example, when forming foundation support cavities, it is important to have said cavities substantially vertical. Heretofore, in the making of such cavities, usually made by drilling and the like using prior art structures, when a ditference in material hardness (fault) was encountered that was also otf center with respect to the center of the cavity or hole, the power requirements for driving the drilling or cutting elements is increased in view of the contact of the harder material by the cutting elements. Also, because the harder material is off center with respect to the center of the drill it has a tendency to move or walk laterally along the side of the fault.

In the present pulverizing tool however, and in particular as it is shown in FIG. 4-, since the conical tools are positively driven in a fixed phase relationship with one another, an encounter with harder material only on one side of the hole will not upset the programmed impacting action, and the effect of this timing feature will therefore be to facilitate the boring of holes through faults etc. and to prevent the tool from veering away from the hard material.

Likewise, inasmuch as substantially all of the forces generated by the instant tool are used to pulverize the material substantially less energy than has heretofore been essential can be utilized to pulverize solid material. Further, with only said pulverizing forces being applied the tool life is materially increased inasmuch as substantially no abrasion is occurring.

In FIG. 12 is shown a multior two-stage tool especially designed to bore a large diameter of hole.

As herein disclosed the tool comprises a first stage as indicated in its entirety at 215 and which includes a plurality of conical-shaped pulverizing elements 217, any one of which may have a flute configuration such as is shown in FIG. 11.

Each of the elements 217 is rotatably supported in tubular body 219 by stub shaft 220 such that the cone surface 221 passes through a plane b that is disposed approximately transversely of the longitudinal axis of the body 219' and forwardly thereof.

Spur gear 224 formed on each element 217 is in meshing engagement with pinion gear 226 of inverted U-shaped configuration and which is disposed on the lower end of hollow drive shaft 228. Drive shaft 228, in turn, is rotatably supported centrally within the body 219 by bearing means 230, 231.

Spaced above the pulverizing stage 215 is a second stage indicated in its entirety at 240 and which is likewise supported upon tubular body 219.

The second stage 240 is larger in overall diameter and is seen to comprise a plurality of conical elements 243 which, in the instant assembly, are shown to be similar to elements 217; however, as will be later apparent, said elements 243 may be of different size and/or configuration.

Each of said elements 243 is seen to be formed with stub shaft 245 which is rotatably disposed in block 247 attached by bolts 248 to the upper end of the body 219.

Drive gear 250 formed on the upper end of each element 243 is in meshing engagement with ring gear 252, said ring gear, in turn, meshing with drive pinion 256. Each drive pinion 256 is mounted on the end of a drive shaft 260 rotatably supported in body 219.

As herein disclosed, a separate drive pinion 256 and shaft 260 are preferably used, the same being disposed in circumferential spaced relationship around the ring gear 252 and the shaft 228. However, as will be apparent, merely a single drive pinion 256 and shaft 260 may be used to actuate ring gear 252.

With this assembly, the elongated body 219 may be rotatably driven by any suitable drive means in one direction such as a clockwise direction, and the shafts 228 and 260 rotatably driven to rotate each of the pulverizing elements 217 and 243 in the opposite direction such as in a counterclockwise direction, the rotational actuation of said body and elements being synchronized with each other in the manner aforesaid whereby substantially no abrasive or lateral forces are applied by said elements to the material.

As herein disclosed, the diameter of the first stage 215 is preferably such that the elements 217 are partially disposed below the inner portions of the elements 243 of the second stage 240 spaced thereabove.

With this assembly, as the first stage encounters and progresses downwardly through the material it forms a hole or bore approximately of the diameter d whereas the second stage 240 is capable of subsequently forming an enlargement of the bore to a greater diameter as indicated at d Referring now to FIG. 13 there is herein disclosed a pulverizing tool 310 in which a variable speed power transmission as indicated at 312 is carried directly within the tool head 314 by which the conical pulverizing elements 317 may be directly driven at any preselected speed. Merely for purposes of this disclosure the power transmission 312 may be of the general type that is shown in US. Patent 2,691,896.

The power transmission is seen to have an input shaft 319 to which is connected the output of any suitable conventional rotatable power source such as an electric or hydraulic motor as indicated schematically at 324.

The output shaft 326 of the power transmission 312 mounts a conical-shaped drive gear 328 which is intended to mesh with a pinion gear 329 mounted, in turn, on each shaft 332 of each tool element 317.

With this assembly, the tool head 314 may be rotated in one direction (clockwise) for example and the power source 324 actuated to rotatably drive the pulverizing elements 317 in the opposite (counterclockwise) direction, the rotation of said head and elements being synchronized in the manner aforedescribed to enable the tool to pulverize the material with substantially no material or little abrasive or lateral forces being utilized. As will be realized, the rotational speed of the elements 317 may be varied within the operative range of the power trans mission 312 and power source 324 so as to maintain synchronization with the head. This is particularly helpful in the event that the elements become worn and hence reduced in size over an extended period of use whereby they must be provided with a different rotational speed in order to be synchronized with the head rotation.

Alternately, the power source 324 may be coupled directly to the shaft 326 without the need of power transmission 312.

In this alternative assembly, the source of energy for the power source, such as hydraulic fluid in the case of a hydraulic motor or electrical energy in the case of an electrical motor, may be varied or regulated in magnitude to change the rate at which the power source is energized whereby to proportionately change the rotatable speed of the elements 317 to thus enable the latter to be synchonized with the rotatable speed of the head 314.

Having thus described several preferred embodiments of the present invention it will be understood that the same is susceptible to various modifications, arrangements and combinations of parts as are defined in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A pulverizing tool for forming a cavity in material by pulverizing the material comprising, a main head rotatable about a first axis, means for rotating the main head, a plurality of cone-shaped coacting tools rotatably mounted on and movable with the main head, each being rotatable about a second axis that is angularly spaced relative from said first axis, means connected to said tools to cause their rotation on the main head such that a point on said tools appears stationary with respect to the surface of the material to be pulverized at the instant of contact therewith, and means to cause the tools to engage the ma terial for pulverizing the same.

2. The structure of claim 1 wherein said tools are canted at an angle of to 20 in a plane disposed at a right angle to the axis of the tool head.

3. The structure of claim 1 wherein the surface of the tool has converging vertical flutes thereon.

4. The structure of claim 1 wherein the surface of said tool has parallel horizontal flutes thereon.

5. The structure of claim 1 wherein the surface of the tool has a plurality of impacting protuberances thereon.

6. The structure of claim 1 and further including a centralized rotatable drill means disposed on the longitudinal axis of the pulverizing tool and extending in front of the tool tip to drill a relatively small hole into which pressurized fluid is disposed in preparation for the pulverization operation of said tool so as to remove pulverized material from the cavity as it is formed.

7. The structure of claim 1 wherein the tool has three cone-shaped pulverizing tools.

8. The structure of claim 7 wherein each of said tools is canted sideways at an angle of approximately to its longitudinal axis.

9. The structure of claim 7 wherein each of said tools has helical screw threads coacting with the threads on the adjacent tool to program and progressively pulverize the material in which the cavity is being formed.

10. The tool structure as is defined in claim -1 and wherein projections formed on the tools are operable to form a predetermined programmed pattern of compressive forces against the material to be pulverized.

11. A pulverizing tool as is defined in claim 1 and wherein means carried on said head is operable to direct fluid to the pulverized material effective to flush the same from the cavity being formed.

12. A pulverizing tool as is defined in claim 1 and wherein the pulverized material is operable to transfer the pulverizing forces from the tools to the material.

13. A pulverizing tool as is defined in claim 11 and wherein the means for directing the fluid is operable to apply fluid to and through the tip of the tool;

14. A pulverizing tool as is defined in claim 6 and wherein means formed in said drill means is operable to direct fluid to the pulverized material effective to remove same from the cavity as it is formed.

15. A pulverizing tool as is defined in claim 1 and wherein pilot means mounted on the axis of the tool is operable to guide the tool along a predetermined path.

16. A pulverizing tool as is defined in claim 1 and wherein groove means on said head are operable by the rotation of said head to remove pulverized material from the cavity.

17. A pulverizing tool as is defined in claim 1 and wherein the coacting tools are mounted in at least two groups spaced longitudinally along the axis of the head.

18. A pulverizing tool as is defined in claim 17 and wherein the coacting tools of at least one of said groups is positioned to form a cavity of greater diameter than the tools of one of the other of said groups.

19. A pulverizing tool as is defined in claim 1 and wherein power transmitting means carried within the head is operable to variably regulate the rotatable speed of the coacting tools.

20. In a pulverizing tool as is defined in claim 1 and wherein power means coupled directly to the coacting pulverizing elements may be variably regulated to correspondingly change the rotatable speed of said elements.

21. The total structure as defined in claim 1 and wherein at least one of the cone-shaped tools may be re-positioned about its rotatable support to present predetermined surface portions thereof to the material in timed relation to the rotation of the main head.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,763,469 9/1956 Burls 319 X 2,774,571 12/ 1956 Morlan 175-374 X 2,815,932 12/ 1957 Wolfram 175-385 X 2,894,727 7/1959 Henderson 175-319 2,976,027 3/ 1961 iAllimann 175-319 X 2,994,390 8/1961 Hildebrandt 175374 X 3,285,351 9/1966 Caro 175319 X FOREIGN PATENTS 313,082 8/1930 Great Britain.

NILE C. BYERS, 1a., Primary Examiner. 

1. A PULVERIZING TOOL FOR FORMING A CAVITY IN MATERIAL BY PULVERIZING THE MATERIAL COMPRISING, A MAIN HEAD ROTATABLE ABOUT A FIRST AXIS, MEANS FOR ROTATING THE MAIN HEAD, A PLURALITY OF CONE-SHAPED COACTING TOOLS ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON AND MOVABLE WITH THE MAIN HEAD, EACH BEING ROTATABLE ABOUT A SECOND AXIS THAT IS ANGULARLY SPACED RELATIVE FROM SAID FIRST AXIS THAT IS ANGULARLY SPACED TO CAUSE THEIR ROTATION ON THE MAIN HEAD SUCH THAT A POINT ON SAID TOOLS APPAEARS STATIONARY WITH RESPECT TO THE SURFACE OF THE MATERIAL TO BE PULVERIZED AT THE INSTANT OF CONTACT THEREWITH, AND MEANS TO CAUSE THE TOOLS TO ENGAGE THE MATERIAL FOR PULVERIZING THE SAME. 